Foldable canopy frame



March 22, 1949. Y B. B. WESTMORELAND ET AL 2,465,302

FOLDABLE CANOPY FRAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 7, 1946 INVENTORS March 22, 1949. B. B. WESTMORELAND ET AL 6 FOLDABLE CANOPY FRAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 7 1946 INVENTORS Patented Mar. 22, 1949 .FQLDABLEw CANOPY FRAME ,Ba scom. B; Westmoreland and Benjamin G. Barnett; DallasyTex.

Application-Marni, 9 6;. Seri N 652,622 cclaims. (01. 296-105) This invention relatesto collapsibleframes for canopies and more particularly to, such frames for supportin fabric covering for trucks.

The principal object of the invention is to .provide a collapsible canopy frame consisting: of at least four uprights or supporting, legs,- to. which are attached side rails in axially aligned and foldable sections which,carryparallel and relatively spaced bows and, by virtueof the inward folding action of the side rails, it is v possible. to collapse the entire structure into a comparatively compact spaceat the. cab endof a. truck body. Moreover, since the legs are. likewise -foldable into close relationship with the-companion folded elements of theassembly, the dimensions of the resultant body are such that it -.will occupy but little space in shipping;.-and storing.

Another object of the invention is: to provide a-collapsible canopy f-ramewhose pivotally related side sections are, when, extended, held in rigid relationship by-means of a- -.-novel .ionn .of latch, yet this element andother reinforcingand stabilizing devices for the, frame,-maybe changed from operative andwinoperative positions without removing them, as :separatelelements; fromthe frame. ,An addedfeature ef-the: assembly lies in the fact that the axially aligned sectionsrof the side rails are connected togetherby; overlying and underlying parallel links normally embraced by the latch in extended position-but when folded the sections may lie ;in;-parallelism,togcontfibute further to the compactness of the collapsed frame.

Still another object of the invention is to provide toggle clamps attached to the supporting legs of the frame which are lever actuated to-engage and firmly embrace the rolled outer edge of the flare boards of a truck-bed, provision being made for adjustment of theclamps to-conform to supports of different-sizes.

With the foregoingobjects-as para-mount, the invention has further reference tocertain features of accomplishment which will become apparent as the description proceeds, taken "in connection with the accompanyingdrawing-wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective viewof acollapsible canopy frame constructed according 'to' the 'invention as mounted on a truck bodmJ-fragmentarily shown.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view efjone of; the sectional side rails, including an end and an intermediate bow, showingthe latch "fo ,hQldin the sections in extendedposition.

'Figure3 is.a detail View in'perspectiyepflone of. the .leg clamps showing the latter and its operating lever displaced in dotted lines, and

.l'gigure 4 is a bottom plan view of the pivoted junction between certain of theside rail sections toiwhich an intermediate bow is attached, the figure being taken on line.4 i .on Figure 2.

Continuing with a. more detailed description of. the-drawing, reference is primarily made to Figure 1 wherein numeral ill denotes a truck body of the pick-up type, shown fragmentarily and on which is mounted the conventional flare boards [I whose top edges are rolled asat 12. .It is to be understood that inasmuch as the primary purpose of the collapsible. frame is to providea 4 cover for truckbodiesthe device is shown as .be-

ing so used. However, it will .become apparent as the description proceeds that the frame may find other uses such as a cover for building materials; providing shelter against weather for campers, etc. Little. variation in the structure shown will be required .to adapt the frame for these and other uses.

The frame consists of four uprights. or supports l3,of channel iron which, While not shown, are. preferably reduced .in width towards their upper ends. ,By. referring to Figure 2, it willobe observed that a typical corner assembly consists ofa leg l3,a section, M of a side rail, an end of a-bow l5 and an angular brace IS. The lower end of the brace It lies between a substantially U-shaped stabilizing-plate H and the flattened end l8 of the bow |5and its extremity is rolled -.to embrace a pin 59 which is .passed through aligned apertures in the upper end of the corner leg. 13. A rivet 2U servesthe combined function of securing the end [8 of thebowand the plate 11 together, as shown. I

The .plate l1, being of substantially U -shap.e, has parallel flanges a, which embrace the end of the section It of a side rail. A pin b is passed through the flanges a of the plate and the endof said section it so that the latterhmay be folded inwardly .to a position parallel with the bow 15. At the same time, the leg [3 may be folded upwardly to a position substantially parallel with th'ejinwardlyfolded.section, l4. When the latter section is extended, however, the plate ll being of a, length greater than the width of the flattened endof the bow its inner end extends inwardly of the bow and lies againsttheouter face of the seCtiOn [4, serving to constrain the same against outward springing action, in short, reinforcing the same. Theouterend of plate I! is bentat, right ,anglesto. lie against the outer endcf, rail sectionnllalthough not shown.

Further reinforcing of the corners of the frame is effected by means of a strap 2| disposed below and parallel with the stationary brace I6 and whose lower end is pivotally connected by means of a pin 22, extending through the flanges of the leg I3. The upper end of the strap is slotted at c to receive a win nut 23, threaded onto a bolt welded to the inner surface of the web of the bow I5. When the wing nut is loosened, the end of the strap 2i may be detached and the latter dropped downwardly between the flanges of the leg I3 in which concealed position it will be out of the way when the frame is to be folded.

Pivoted also to a leg I3 at "24 is a brace 25 which extends upwardly at an angle and a slot 26 at its opposite end engages over a headed pin 27a, extending outwardly from the side of the rail section I4. Thus each corner, identically constructed, is adequately reinforced yet it is obvious that all of the movable parts may be quickly and conveniently released and replaced in folding and unfolding the frame.

Referring now to the side rails; it is pointed out that each end section of each rail is indicated by numeral I4. Each of the two side rails is made up of siX, axially alignable sections including the end sections I4 and intermediate sections 21. As further shown in Figure 2, the rail section 21 next adjacent an end section I4 is joined to such end section by means of parallel links 28, one lying below and one above the said sections, their ends being pivoted to the respective sections by means of pins 29, By slightly spacing the confronting ends of the sections apart, made possible by the links 28, the end section may be folded inwardly, followed by the adjacent section 21 so that the outer face of the latter will lie flush against the outer face of section I4.

When the sections I4 and 21 are extended, as shown, a latch 38 is arranged to overlie and bridge the space between the ends thereof, holding the links 28 against lateral displacement to prevent relative movement of the ends of the sections. This latch consists of a plate formed into substantially U-shape to straddle the ends of the sections 21 and I4. A pin 3I pivotally secures the latch to one end of section I4 and a recess 32 (Fig. 2) is made in the top of the latch at its pivoted end so that it may be raised to the solid line position shown in Figure 2 to release the rail sections I4 and 21 for folding.

The manner in which the intermediate bows I5 are connected to the side rail sections 21 is shown also in Figure 2 and in Figure 4. The flanges of the bows are spread out or flattened as shown and in a manner similar to the shaping of the end bows, as described previously. A stabilizing plate I'I, given the same reference numeral as the plate earlier described because of its identical function is aiiixed to the flattened end of bow I5 by a rivet 33. The flanges a overlie and underlie the confronting ends of the juxtapositioned rail sections 21 and pins 34 pivotally connect the ends of the rails to the flanges a so that as the end of rail section I4 is swung inwardly, as described, the other sections will follow suit, forming a zig-zag pattern as the bows I5 move closer together and until all of the bows as well as all of the rail sections assume a position parallel to each other.

Inasmuch as the remaining structure is identical to that described, the foregoing is considered adequate to explain the construction, relationship and function of the parts making up the side rails, bows and reinforcing elements. However,

it is pointed out that each bow I5 has a strap 35 spanning the bend in its apex, and a ridge rail 36, made in axially aligned sections is slid into a position between these straps and the bow. The sections of the ridge rail are joined together by a screw 31 (Fig. 1) while screws 38 hold the ridge rail against longitudinal displacement. The ob-- ject in making this rail in detachable sections is to reduce its length to that of the bows I5 which represents the approximate length of a shipping carton adapted to contain the frame.

Referring now to the toggle clamp by which the frame is mounted on a truck bed, attention is directed to Figure 3 wherein numeral 39 denotes a saddle adapted to rest on the roll I2 of the truck bed II], as shown. The lower end of a leg I3 is split to define extensions 40, bent to lie flush on the top of the saddle where they are riveted or welded. The flanges of the channeled leg I3 are provided with parallel slots M and slidable in these slots is a pin 42 which joins the lower ends of a lever 43 and an inverted V-shaped adjusting frame 44 together. The lever 43 is channel shaped to conform to the leg I3, as shown in solid lines in Figure 3 and is displaceable to the position shown in dotted lines in this figure by virtue of its pivotal connection with pin 42 and the fact that this pin is slidable in the slots 4 I Affixed by welding or otherwise to each side of lever 43 is a bracket 45, whose major axis is in offset relation to that of the lever 43 and to the lower end of this bracket is pivoted at 46 a substantially hooked shaped member 41 which depends to a point well below the saddle 39 so that its lower, upwardly curved end 48 will underlie the roll I2 of a truck bed III.

The adjusting frame 44 previously referred to is disposed between the flanges of the leg I3 and. as stated, is pivotally joined to the lever 43 by means of the pin 42. This frame is stationary except when vertically adjusted by means of a threaded pin 49, passing downwardly through an aperture in the head of the frame 44 and secured against rotative displacement by means of lock nuts 50. The neck of this threaded pin lies in a slot 5| in a cross member 52, disposed transversely between the flanges of the leg I3 and by raising and lowering the frame 44 by adjusting the pin 49, the lever 43 and consequently the hook 41 are similarly adjusted.

It is apparent from the foregoing that by adjusting the screw or threaded pin 44, the spacing between the hook 48 and 39 is varied to correspond to any variations in size of a roll I2 or any other support to which the toggle clamp is attached. By raising the lever 43 from the dotted position to the solid line position shown, the member 41 is caused to move upwardly, bringing the hook 48 against the underside of the roll I2 of the flare boards I I of the truck body I0, thereby securely clamping the leg in position thereon. Obviously, each of the legs I3 are similarly clamped to the truck body to secure the collapsible frame in position.

When it is desired to collapse the frame without removing the same from the truck, only the rear end clamps are released by lowering the levers 43. The rear portion of the frame is then thrust forwardly, folding the side rails, as described previously and afterwards resecuring the rear clamps to the truck in close relationship to the forward clamps. Of course, when the frame is collapsed, the ridge rail 36 is removed.

Manifestly, the construction as shown and described is capable of some modification and such modification as may be construed to fall within the scope and meaning of the appended claims is also considered to be within the spirit and intent of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A collapsible canopy frame for trucks including spaced apart uprights, side rails composed of a plurality of relatively hinged, axially alignable sections, foldable inwardly, one against the other to lie collectively in a horizontal plane, a plurality of spaced bows whose ends are connected to respective side rails at alternate hinged points between the sections thereof, means for hingedly connecting the upper ends of said uprights to the ends of the outer of said bows whereby said legs will be foldable into longitudinal parallel relationship with said bows and a pivotally displaceable, substantially U-shaped latch bridging the joint between certain of said side rail sections in extended positions to hold said sections against lateral displacement.

2. A foldable canopy frame for trucks including uprights, a plurality of side rails in axially alignable sections supported by said uprights, means hinging said sections together for inward folding displacement to lie parallel in a horizontal plane, bows spaced apart having their ends pivotally connected to alternate hinged joints between said sections and movable into parallel juxtaposition upon folding of said sections, means hingedly connecting said uprights to the ends of the outer of said bows and a pivotally displaceable and substantially U-shaped latch means embracing certain of the joints between said rail sections to hold the same in extended position.

3. In a foldable canopy frame for trucks, a pair of side rails, each composed of a plurality of relatively hinged sections, axially aligned in extended position, substantially U-shaped pivoted means bridging the hinged joints between said sections to hold the same extended, said sections being foldable in horizontal juxtaposition, a plurality of bows whose ends are connected to alternate hinged joints of said rail sections and movable into contiguous parallelism when said rail sections are folded, uprights supporting said side rails and bows and means hingedly connecting the upper ends of said uprights to the ends of the outer of said bows for foldability into parallel juxtaposition therewith.

4. In a foldable canopy frame, a pair of side rails composed of a plurality of axially 'alignable sections hinged in end to end relationship for inward foldability into parallel juxtaposition in a horizontal plane, bows supported at alternate hinged joints of said sections and adapted, upon folding said sections, to lie in parallel juxtaposition thereto, pivoted means for latching said rail sections in extended relationship, uprights supporting said rails and bows and means for hingedly connecting said uprights to the ends of the outer of said bows whereby said uprights will be foldable into parallelism with said rail sections and said bows.

5. The structure set forth in claim 4, further defined in that the rail section locking means consists of a substantially U-shaped shell pivoted at one end to an end of a rail section and adapted to embrace the upper portion of said rail section and its companion at their adjacent ends to overlap the space therebetween.

6. The structure set forth in claim 4, further defined in that the hinged joint between certain of the rail sections is composed of a substantially U-shaped plate, the parallel flanges of which overlie and underlie the adjacent ends of said rail sections to receive pins on which said sections hinge and which hold the adjacent ends of said sections in spaced relationship and for foldability of said sections into parallelism.

BASCOM B. WESTMORELAND. BENJAMIN G. BARNETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 26,547 Dikeman Dec. 20, 1859 760,928 Shipley May 24, 1904 1,204,329 Wilkins Nov. 7, 1916 1,413,474 Gorrell et al Apr. 18, 1922 2,151,908 Gottlieb Mar. 28, 1939 

